Formby

Just been for an hour-long cycle ride with the kids by the Ashton Canal - slightly (very) surreal experience, being able to appreciate the great views and nature going about its business while we fret over jobs, livelihoods, life, and the damned virus. As I saw the sun bathing the hills in red and gold, I was reminded again of what a beautiful country we live in and how lucky we are to live here. There is much that is wrong with it, but there are many great things, too. Simple things like a cycle ride with the kids don't cost anything (okay, maybe a round of ice creams) but the memory will be there forever (which is all that counts). I hope, when this is over, that I will reflect more on such things rather than getting too angry or frustrated trying to occupy my time with nothing at all, and taking the kids to places that they don't really need to go to. Hope everyone is safe and well wherever you are.

Just been for an hour-long cycle ride with the kids by the Ashton Canal - slightly (very) surreal experience, being able to appreciate the great views and nature going about its business while we fret over jobs, livelihoods, life, and the damned virus. As I saw the sun bathing the hills in red and gold, I was reminded again of what a beautiful country we live in and how lucky we are to live here. There is much that is wrong with it, but there are many great things, too. Simple things like a cycle ride with the kids don't cost anything (okay, maybe a round of ice creams) but the memory will be there forever (which is all that counts). I hope, when this is over, that I will reflect more on such things rather than getting too angry or frustrated trying to occupy my time with nothing at all, and taking the kids to places that they don't really need to go to. Hope everyone is safe and well wherever you are.

Sorry to hear about the bad year, FB. It's amazing to me how loyalty and love of your team transcends so much. Marriages, relationships that you thought would last forever, jobs you thought would set you up for life, all go by the wayside, but the bond you made with your football club you will take with you to the grave. When I look at old pictures of the crowds at GP, you realise what an amazing sense of continuity football brings. It will always be there, and I certainly take solace from that. Hope you have a wonderful new year.   

Sorry to hear about the bad year, FB. It's amazing to me how loyalty and love of your team transcends so much. Marriages, relationships that you thought would last forever, jobs you thought would set you up for life, all go by the wayside, but the bond you made with your football club you will take with you to the grave. When I look at old pictures of the crowds at GP, you realise what an amazing sense of continuity football brings. It will always be there, and I certainly take solace from that. Hope you have a wonderful new year.   

Sorry to hear about the bad year, FB. It's amazing to me how loyalty and love of your team transcends so much. Marriages, relationships that you thought would last forever, jobs you thought would set you up for life, all go by the wayside, but the bond you made with your football club you will take with you to the grave. When I look at old pictures of the crowds at GP, you realise what an amazing sense of continuity football brings. It will always be there, and I certainly take solace from that. Hope you have a wonderful new year.   

It's not quite the same thing, MJB. Chav has class connotations over here which I'm not sure douchebag has over in the US (correct me if I'm wrong). 

It's not quite the same thing, MJB. Chav has class connotations over here which I'm not sure douchebag has over in the US (correct me if I'm wrong). 

It's not quite the same thing, MJB. Chav has class connotations over here which I'm not sure douchebag has over in the US (correct me if I'm wrong). 

Good to see you back, John, even if I completely disagree with the post 

Only four candidates in my constituency to choose from the two ladies running the station said it was a very high turnout. 
This was the Ist time in my life I never voted labour I feel very disappointed with myself, but in 2017 election Labour only won 7% of the votes here, so I voted tactically for LibDems in the hope of trying to stop Brexit. 
We need to have proportional representation in this country so that know matter were you live you know your vote will count even if you’re surrounded by a load of pompous Tory twats. 

No-brainer but it'll never happen because it'd involve Labour and tory MPs doing a "turkeys voting for Christmas" job. FPTP has worked for the two of them for a hundred years and there's no way they'll let that go. It stinks.

We played some fantastic football under Moyes, some really good attacking and exciting football. But it was ten years ago, his career has been a car crash ever since. 
He knew our club back to front and ran every aspect of it, but that whole set up has changed. We now have a different board of directors, a director of football, a bunch of scouts that work for the director of football and not the manager. I’m not sure this is a set up which Moyes would thrive in anymore. I honestly believe we had his best years, and that they are long behind him. 
Ive nothing but respect for his time here (I’d have liked us to get a pay day from United for him) and appreciate the job he did, I also think he dampened our expectations and made us believe we were as good as we could be. One thing I can say since Moshiri has come in he has lifted our expectations, but we haven’t found a way to see them happen. 

He ran out of ideas and should have been sacked a good three years earlier than he left. But Bill stuck by him through shear loyalty only to be repaid by Moyes doing the dirty and running down his contract, which is even worse as Moyes had criticised players for doing the same. 
The bloke's a dinosaur, as he even managed a second season since leaving us? He also barely brought through a youth player and stuck with favourites out of position over them. The worst occasion opting for Hibbert on an injury to play centre half over Duffy and Mustafi. Playing Neville against Wigan in the FA cup semi or am injured Rodwell on the wing being contenders too. 

Cough...

Cough...

Cough...

I thought this was very funny (from the NYT): https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/17/opinion/brexit-what-comes-next.html

I thought this was very funny (from the NYT): https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/17/opinion/brexit-what-comes-next.html

I echo much of this. With such a slender majority, and with all that has happened since, I would also accept the result of a second referendum. I voted to leave but not at the expense of ripping the country apart and setting neighbour upon neighbour. Forcing through any kind of mandate (and many don't even recognise it) when opinions are so polarised and the opposition so steadfast, was only going to lead to trouble. The whole political system has shown itself to be defective and most MPs have behaved poorly. I really wish there was a kinder politics out there and a great tolerance of other people's points of view, but there really isn't at the moment. I don't think Cameron would have saved the situation, but I agree he would have done better than May (plainly out of her depth) and Johnson (toxic).    

If we had a chance of getting Mourinho, I'd jump at it. We have one of the best squads we've had in years, but one of the worst teams. That's all on the manager. Pretty sure Mourinho would have them playing. Arteta would be my sentimental choice, Howe a big risk and Rafa probably the most pragmatic option. I just want to move on from Silva, really, so hope they decide soon.   

I echo much of this. With such a slender majority, and with all that has happened since, I would also accept the result of a second referendum. I voted to leave but not at the expense of ripping the country apart and setting neighbour upon neighbour. Forcing through any kind of mandate (and many don't even recognise it) when opinions are so polarised and the opposition so steadfast, was only going to lead to trouble. The whole political system has shown itself to be defective and most MPs have behaved poorly. I really wish there was a kinder politics out there and a great tolerance of other people's points of view, but there really isn't at the moment. I don't think Cameron would have saved the situation, but I agree he would have done better than May (plainly out of her depth) and Johnson (toxic).    

Poor choice of phrase there Palfy  

Whether they really are 'shitting their pants'' or not, you are entirely correct in saying the EU are playing a waiting game, hoping the Remain parliament removes Johnson's only serious bargaining chip. Whether you believe he really wants a no deal, or is using the threat of one to make a deal that has a chance of getting through parliament, the sad fact is we keep shooting ourselves in the foot time and time again. No one could negotiate a successful Brexit given the divisions in the country and in parliament. The single biggest mistake was not Cameron's (I think he had no choice), but May's. The moment Leave won, she should have gone cross-party and worked out what we wanted (could stomach) before approaching the EU. The second biggest mistake was holding a GE which wiped out her majority. She couldn't even foist her own deal on the house. I don't buy the ardent Remainers' argument that 17 million people were xenophobes and idiots. It's reductive, crass and plain wrong. Mud can be slung at both sides and it really doesn't matter any more. We are where we are. 17 million people did vote Leave. The referendum was won. The EU has never been sympathetic to the UK, partly because of our adversarial position on just about everything. We have always been unhappy members of the club. It is undoubtedly true they have played hardball over Brexit (partly, I believe, because of the domino effect). Again, that's fine. We are the ones who want the divorce (well, 17 million do). The question now is what to do. Preventing Johnson from trying to make a deal is going to result in what, exactly? If he doesn't want a deal and is deliberately taking us over the cliff? What, then? Do any of us really know what will happen? The doomsayers' economic forecasts have not so far materialised. Personally, I don't buy the Doomsday scenario. I think we would still work with Europe to mitigate the problems of transition. It is not in our interest or theirs to do otherwise. Maybe that's naïve, but time will tell.    

Whether they really are 'shitting their pants'' or not, you are entirely correct in saying the EU are playing a waiting game, hoping the Remain parliament removes Johnson's only serious bargaining chip. Whether you believe he really wants a no deal, or is using the threat of one to make a deal that has a chance of getting through parliament, the sad fact is we keep shooting ourselves in the foot time and time again. No one could negotiate a successful Brexit given the divisions in the country and in parliament. The single biggest mistake was not Cameron's (I think he had no choice), but May's. The moment Leave won, she should have gone cross-party and worked out what we wanted (could stomach) before approaching the EU. The second biggest mistake was holding a GE which wiped out her majority. She couldn't even foist her own deal on the house. I don't buy the ardent Remainers' argument that 17 million people were xenophobes and idiots. It's reductive, crass and plain wrong. Mud can be slung at both sides and it really doesn't matter any more. We are where we are. 17 million people did vote Leave. The referendum was won. The EU has never been sympathetic to the UK, partly because of our adversarial position on just about everything. We have always been unhappy members of the club. It is undoubtedly true they have played hardball over Brexit (partly, I believe, because of the domino effect). Again, that's fine. We are the ones who want the divorce (well, 17 million do). The question now is what to do. Preventing Johnson from trying to make a deal is going to result in what, exactly? If he doesn't want a deal and is deliberately taking us over the cliff? What, then? Do any of us really know what will happen? The doomsayers' economic forecasts have not so far materialised. Personally, I don't buy the Doomsday scenario. I think we would still work with Europe to mitigate the problems of transition. It is not in our interest or theirs to do otherwise. Maybe that's naïve, but time will tell.    

Whether they really are 'shitting their pants'' or not, you are entirely correct in saying the EU are playing a waiting game, hoping the Remain parliament removes Johnson's only serious bargaining chip. Whether you believe he really wants a no deal, or is using the threat of one to make a deal that has a chance of getting through parliament, the sad fact is we keep shooting ourselves in the foot time and time again. No one could negotiate a successful Brexit given the divisions in the country and in parliament. The single biggest mistake was not Cameron's (I think he had no choice), but May's. The moment Leave won, she should have gone cross-party and worked out what we wanted (could stomach) before approaching the EU. The second biggest mistake was holding a GE which wiped out her majority. She couldn't even foist her own deal on the house. I don't buy the ardent Remainers' argument that 17 million people were xenophobes and idiots. It's reductive, crass and plain wrong. Mud can be slung at both sides and it really doesn't matter any more. We are where we are. 17 million people did vote Leave. The referendum was won. The EU has never been sympathetic to the UK, partly because of our adversarial position on just about everything. We have always been unhappy members of the club. It is undoubtedly true they have played hardball over Brexit (partly, I believe, because of the domino effect). Again, that's fine. We are the ones who want the divorce (well, 17 million do). The question now is what to do. Preventing Johnson from trying to make a deal is going to result in what, exactly? If he doesn't want a deal and is deliberately taking us over the cliff? What, then? Do any of us really know what will happen? The doomsayers' economic forecasts have not so far materialised. Personally, I don't buy the Doomsday scenario. I think we would still work with Europe to mitigate the problems of transition. It is not in our interest or theirs to do otherwise. Maybe that's naïve, but time will tell.